Ink-regulating mechanism for extended delivery devices of printing presses



Aug. 13, 1929. ENGUSH 1,724,075

INK REGULATING MECHANISM FOR EXTENDED DELIVERY DEVICES OF PRINTINGPRESSES Original Filed March 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l mowntoz Z QQJ. 5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 13, 1929. 5, ENGLlSH 1,724,075

INK REGULATING MECHANISM FOR EXTENDED DELIVERY DEVICES OFPRINTING PREOriginal Filed Marsh 5,

Patented Aug. 13, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED S. ENGLISH, NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT.

Original application filed March 5, 1925, Serial No. 13,344. Divided andthis application filed. September 2, 1926. Serial No. 133,215.

The present case is a division of my copending application Serial No.13,344, filed March 5th, 1925.

It has become "common practice to provide a pile or delivery table toreceive the sheets from a printing press set off at the front of thepress where the table can have a much greater vertical downward movementin order to receive a large number of sheets before the table is to beemptied. This extended pile table comes in front of the keys by means ofwhich the adjustment is made for the proper distribution of ink on thefountain roller of the press, and provision must be made for operatingthese ink adjusting keys. One method adopted has been to set the piletable off from the press sufliciently to permit the operator to reach inor get in between the fountain keys and the pile table to adjust thekeys. The object of my present invention is to provide for remotecontrol of the fountain keys by arranging upon or adjacent to some partof the pile table support means by which the fountain keys may beoperated from a remote position on the pile table device. With thisremote control it is possible for the operator to adjust the fountainkeys without providing a space between the table and the press. Anotheradvantage is that while the operator is adjusting the fountain keys bymeans of a remote control he can at the same time stand in a positionwhere he can readily see the printed surfaces of the sheets as they aredelivered on the extended pile table in order to observe whether the inksupplied should be increased or decreased at various points on the sheetand in order to observe the effect of each adjustment of the keys uponthe printed sheets. Another object is to provide a remote control whichwill operate as near as possible the same as if the operator operatedthe fountain keys direct, which is an advantage because the operatoroften depends on the sense of feel of the fountain keys in judging howmuch the key should be turned in order to regulate the supply of ink.

In the drawings forming part of this application,

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the extreme end of the printingpress and the extended pile table and my ink regulating mechanismapplied thereto,

Figure 2 is a plan view of one side of the same parts,

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the base board forprotecting the cables,

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of one of the keys of the remotecontrol and the lever operated by it,

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the method of connectingthe individual cables with the fountain levers,

Figure 6" is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 4, and

Figure 7 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 5.

In the drawings I have shown only the extreme end of a printing press,the end of the frame being indicated at 1. The ink fountain is usuallymounted on this frame and I have shown a fountain 2 for holding thesupply of ink which is to be taken up by the fountain roller 3 to bedistributed to the inking system (not shown) of the press. This fountainroller is acted upon by a knife or blade 4 which is caused to pressagainst the roller with a greater or lesser pressure to control thethickness of the film of ink which is taken from the fountain by thefountain roller. This blade is usually thin steel and is fixed at therear by a number of bolts 5 so that the forward edge is free and isadaptedto be flexed to press against the fountain roller. This blade isusually subject to being pressed against the fountain roller withgreater pressure at one point than another according to the requirementsof the printing and for'this purpose there is a series of bell cranklevers 6 mounted upon a shaft 7 under the fountain knife 4 one arm 8 ofeach lever being adapted to press upon the blade at to press the freeedge thereof against the fountain roller. These several levers are allalike and are arranged in a row crosswise of the press to act atdifferent points upon the blade. There is an other arm'9 for each leverand this arm is acted upon by means of the key 10 which is a boltthreaded through a bar 11 of the fountain frame so that the inner end ofthe v 15, 16 which rest upon the floor. The upper 5 frame and from therethe cable extends upbolt presses on the arm 9 for the purpose of causingthe arm 8 to press with more or less force against the flexible blade.In the employment of my present invention I provide an additional arm 12on each key lever, which is connected with the remote control as will behereinafter described.

I have shown the principal parts of an extended pile table'which is setoil at the front end of the press to receive the sheets as they aredelivered therefrom. This consists of a frame resting on the floorforward of the press, the frame comprising the legs 13 adjacentthe frameof the press and other legs 14 spaced from the former, the several legsbeing mounted in or attached to feet ends of these legs have mountedthereon brackets 17, 18 between which are connected the side bars 19which support the pulleys '20 on which the cables 21 operate to raiseand lower the piletable proper. The latter comprises, in the presentshowing, a platform 22supported upon the cables by means of shackles 23.The parts here described except the table, are duplicated at theopposite side of the press. It is not necessary to show further detailsof the pile table mechanism nor the device for raising and lowering thetable as these are devices well known in the art.

Preferably, at the forward end of the pile table frame and adjacent theupper portion thereofl have arranged the shaft 24 extending crosswise ofthe table frame and on this shaft are independently pivoted the levers25 each having a rearwardly extend ing arm 26 to which one end of thecable 27 is attached. The. other arm 28 of each of these angle levers isarranged to be acted upon by a key 29 which comprises a bolt threadedthrough a bar 30 so that the forward end of the key acts upon the arm 28to rock the lever 25 and pull upwardly on the cable 27., These severallevers are arranged in a' horizontal row and their several operatingkeys are all duplicatesand operate the s'a'me but effect the operationof individual fountain keys. I prefer to space these keys 29 apart tocorrespond with thespacing of the fountain keys of the press and to liein the same vertical planes therewith in order that the operator mayknow what portion of thesheet is affected by the adjustment of eachindividual key.

Each-cable 27 as above set forth, has one and connected with one of thelever .arms .26. From there the cable extends downwardly and passesaround the sheave 31 which ,is mounted on a shaft arranged in the feet16 of the frame of the table. From this sheave the cable extendsbackwardly just above the plane of thefloor to another sheave 32journaled in the rear feet 15 of the table wardly and its other free endis connected with the arm 12 of the fountain lever. In order to protectthe horizontal runs of these cables and to permit a loading truck to bemoved between the frame to receive the pile of sheets on the loweringtable, I have provided a platform 33 provided with suitable grooves 34:on its under side. This platform is adapted to be placed on the floorover the SGXQTHl ables, the horizontal rows of the latter extendingfreely through the several grooves 84- of the platform so that theoperator or a truck may pass on the platform without dislocatino orinjuring the several cables.

lVhen the device is in operation the sheets as they come from theprinting press will be delivered upon the pile'lable 22 which will belowered from time to time to 1nz1intain the top of the stack at aconstant level. The operator may stand at the front of the pile tableframe and adjust the several keys 29 for the purpose of regulating oradjusting the supply of ink to the form. Each individual lay may beturned right or left to increase or decrease the supply of ink and thisaction will affect the portion of the printed sheet in line with theindividual key or keys which are adjusted. The opcrator may observe thesheets they are delivered upon the pile table and instantly dctcrminethe effect upon the printed sheets of each adjnstn'ient of the key. Theaction will be the same as with the adjustment of the ordinary fountainkeys on a press operated without an extended delivery. The feel of eachkey 29will. correspond with the feel previously experienced by theoperator in operating the fountain. kcys 10 direct. ly e2 ending thecables 7 downwardly and thence adjacent the floor these ables do notinterfere in any way with the operation of the extended delivery device,nor with the removal of the stack of sheets.

Havimr described my invention, whal I claim is:

1. The combination of a press having ink mechanism including a fountainroller and ll'lCtlllrj for controlling the supply of ink tl ereon, anextended delivery device set off at the end of the press and including aframe, a of keys mounted on said frame, and means for individuallyconnecting said latter keys with said ink supply control for the purposeset forth.

2. The combination of a press having ink mechanism including a fountainroller and means for controlling the supply of ink thereon an extendeddelivery device set oil at the end of the press and including a frame, aset of keys mounted on said frame, and flexible means connecting each ofsaid latter keys with a member of the ink supply control for the purposeset forth.

3. The combination of a press having ink mechanism including a fountainroller and means for controlling the supply of ink thereon, an extendeddelivery device set off at the end of the press and including EUvertically moving pile table in a supporting frame, keys mounted on saidframe, flexible members for connecting each of said latter keys with amember of said ink supply controlling means and means for guiding saidflexible members whereby they extend below and out of the path of thevertically moving pile table.

4. The combination of a press having inking mechanism, including afountain, a fountain roller, a plurality of levers adjacent said rollerfor regulating the supply of ink, an extended delivery device set off atthe end of the press, including a vertically moving pile table on asupporting frame, a plurality of levers adapted to be individuallyoperated and mounted on said supporting frame, and means forindividually connecting said first levers and said second levers.

5. The combination of a press having inking mechanism, including afountain, a fountain roller, a plurality of levers adjacent said rollerfor regulating the supply of ink, an extended delivery device set off atthe end of the press, including a vertically moving pile table 011 asupporting frame, a plurality of levers adapted to be individuallyoperated and mounted on said supporting frame, and flexible means forindividually connecting said first levers and said second levers.

6. The combination of a press having inking mechanism including afountain, a fountain roller and levers adjacent the fountain roller forcontrolling the supply of ink, a vertically moving pile table on asupport, set off at the end of the press, a plurality of independentlyoperable levers arranged. on said table support, flexible meansindependently connecting each of said first levers with said secondlevers, and means for guiding said flexible members to extend below thepath of said pile table.

7. The combination of a press having inking mechanism, comprising afountain and a fountain roller, levers adjacent said roller forcontrolling the supply of ink, a vertically moving pile table mounted ona frame set off at the end of the press, levers on said frame to providea remote control for said first levers, flexible members forindividually connecting said first and second levers, means for guidingsaid flexible members whereby they extend downwardly adjacent the floorbelow the path of said pile table, and means adapted to be placed overthe horizontal runs of said flexible members adjacent the floor toprotect said flexible members.

8. The combination of a press having ink mechanism including a fountainroller and means for controlling a supply of ink thereon, an extendeddelivery device set off at the end of the press and including avertically moving pile table and a supporting frame, keys mounted onsaid frame, flexible memhere for connecting each of said latter keyswith a member of said ink supply controlling means, and means forguiding said flexible members whereby they extend partially around andout of the path of) the vertically moving pile table.

9. The combination of a press having an ink fo intain and extendeddelivery device set off at the end of the press and including a frame, aplurality of primary fountain levers associated with said ink fountain,a plurality of secondary fountain levers mounted on said frame and setoff from said ink fountain, flexible members for connecting said primaryand said secondary levers, and means for guiding said flexible memberswhereby they take an indirect course between said secondary and saidprimary levers.

10. The combination of a press and an ,extended delivery device set offat the end of the press and having a frame, an ink fountain on saidpress, fountain levers associated with said fountain, secondary leversmounted on said frame, remote from said first levers, flexibleconnections between said second levers and said first levers, and meansfor guiding said flexible connections whereby they take an indirectcourse between said second levers and said first mentioned levers, saidlevers and said flexible means lying in common vertical planes.

Signed at New London, county of New London, State of Connecticut, thisthe 25th day of Aug, 1926.

FRED S. ENGLISH.

